Senior Scientist Protein Sciences

At Obulytix, we engineer and develop a groundbreaking new class of enzyme-based antibiotics to combat the ongoing antimicrobial resistance crisis. Join us in our mission to provide concrete solutions to this global challenge and save the lives of countless patients. Apply today and help to make the difference, or refer a friend! 

As Senior Scientist Protein Sciences, you will leverage your industry experience in expression, purification and characterization of therapeutic proteins to enhance Obulytix’s discovery and development capabilities. You will enhance the existing high throughput hit discovery and lead optimization processes, by optimizing protein production and designing and executing protein engineering strategies. 

Obulytix is a young biotech, providing an exciting and dynamic environment where growth opportunities abound. As an employee in a small but enthusiastic team, you are not just a number. We are supported by corporate and venture capital, and are focused on building the best possible team culture from our home base in Ghent – one of Belgium’s foremost biotech clusters. 

Obulytix is an equal opportunities employer. We offer our employees competitive compensation and a wide range of benefits and career progression opportunities. 

POSITION: 

Senior Scientist, Discovery (Protein Sciences) 

2-year fixed term contract - On-site - Full-time - Mid-Senior level 

REPORTS TO: 

Operational Lead, Discovery 

JOB PURPOSE: 

Express, purify, characterize and optimize Obulytix’s novel lysins 

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES: 

• Production and purification of lysins, from microtiter plate through shake flask cultures and up to small-scale fermentation (1-10L scale), to produce high-quality protein samples for biophysical and functional characterization 
• Development and optimization of production and purification processes to meet exacting requirements, including high-throughput protein production and basic characterization 
• Lysin characterization using standard techniques (purity by SDS-PAGE, Western Blot, SEC, Tm, Tagg, DLS and mass spectrometry in-house or through partners) 
• Expression, purification and QC of tool proteins for assay development 
• Development of SOPs for protein production, purification and purity/biophysical characterization 
• Work independently to design, carry out and interpret experiments, keeping up to date with relevant literature and techniques 
• Independently perform quality control on experimental data, interpretation and reporting thereof 
• Contribution to cross-functional project teams, preparing and presenting work and project updates 
• Contribute new ideas and opinions to scientific discussions to enhance process and new technologies development 
• Work closely with the rest of the Discovery Team as required, to deliver solutions or improvements in recombinant protein production and biophysical characterization 
• As line manager of Protein Sciences group, educate and provide guidance as well as coaching to members of staff. Provide timeline and budget planning input and reports to Operational Lead 
• From time to time, undertake other Discovery activities as required by your line manager 

JOB REQUIREMENTS:  

Education and Experience 

• PhD in a relevant biological discipline or BSc/MSc with significant (>3y) relevant industrial experience 
• Laboratory experience in an industrial setting required 
• Expertise in the design of experiments, interpretation of data and troubleshooting is essential 
• Understanding of protein therapeutics and their discovery and development 

Skills and Knowledge 

• Working knowledge of a broad range of purification techniques, such as affinity (IMAC, SEC, RP, HIC & IEX) 
• Experience in evaluating protein biophysics (DLS, Tm, Tagg) 
• Experience in developing, optimizing and troubleshooting purification processes 
• Experience with Cytiva ÄKTA protein purification platform with practical knowledge of Unicorn software preferred 
• Knowledge and experience of recombinant protein expression in prokaryotic, eukaryotic hosts (E. coli, Pichia pastoris, Saccharomyces) and/or mammalian cell systems 
• Knowledge of and experience in protein engineering would be an advantage 

Competencies 

• Solid background in protein chemistry, structure and function 
• Demonstrated ability to independently design experiments, interpret data and troubleshoot any issues arising 
• Highly organized, able to prioritize work, work well under pressure and to tight deadlines 
• A team player with a flexible and collaborative working ethos towards colleagues and teams within the company, as well as with external advisors, service providers and collaborators 
• Excellent abilities in record keeping and maintenance of clearly written laboratory notebooks to a standards required for publications and patent filings 
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills and ability to clearly present complex data in English 
• Enthusiastic, self-motivated and proactive attitude towards protein science and Drug Discovery